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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24120622">If My Heart Was a Compass, You'd Be North</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skaboom/pseuds/Skaboom'>Skaboom</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>TiMER Verse [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Teen Wolf (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>First Kiss, Fluffy times a million, Low Self Esteem, M/M, Soulmate AU, TiMER AU, library book theft</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 15:27:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,641</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24120622</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skaboom/pseuds/Skaboom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Mason Hewitt gets a Timer at 14, and it tells him he is going to meet his soulmate in the next 24 hours, he feels a crushing pressure to come out to his family and best friend. However, that winds up being the least of his worries when his Timer zeroes out in the library at school, and his soulmate, Corey Bryant, runs away from him. Literally.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Corey Bryant/Mason Hewitt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>TiMER Verse [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1913899</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>If My Heart Was a Compass, You'd Be North</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sefinh/gifts">Sefinh</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/xTarmanderx/gifts">xTarmanderx</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So this is the Mason/Corey prequel to my Thiam Timer AU, I'll Hate the Goodbye! You do NOT have to read one to enjoy the other! Title is taken from If My Heart Was a House by Owl City.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mason had known he would get a Timer from a young age. He and Liam had often talked about what it would be like, when they were both 14, both finally able to begin the countdown to their soulmates. As the time grew nearer, however, Mason decided to wait the two months after his own 14th birthday for Liam to hit the same landmark.</p><p>14. That was the viable age for Timers, a countdown to your soulmate, or at least a countdown to when you would meet them. Once you hit 14, you could get one installed, and then, if your soulmate had one, too, it would start counting down to the da you would meet them. Then, on that day, the first time you locked eyes with your "one," they would beep in synchronicity, alerting you to the fact that you had just laid eyes on your soulmate for the first time.</p><p>Liam couldn't wait, but Mason? He had his apprehensions. As he grew up, he had come to realize that his Timer wouldn't be zeroing out with a woman, but with another man, and he hadn't quite figured out how to tell anyone that, so waiting the two extra months proved to be a good time for him to think. </p><p>The night before Liam's 14th birthday, the night before their appointment at the Timer store, Mason calmed himself to sleep by telling himself that he would have time. That his Timer would show him months, years, more likely, until he would meet his One. Time that he would have to tell his best friend, and his family, that he was gay.</p><p>***</p><p>"This is gonna be great," Liam said, closing his locker as he grabbed the books he needed for the second half of his day. "I mean, we won't know who yet, but at least we'll know, you know?" He turned to Mason. </p><p>"Yeah," Mason smiled, Liam's excitement about the Timer's close to contagious...but his own smile did not quite reach his eyes. "Just remember, it might not start counting down right away. We're still young, so, you know, there's a good chance that our soulmates don't have Timer's just yet."</p><p>"I know, I know," Liam said. "But even if it doesn't, almost everyone is getting them these days, so it won't be long, and just...the possibility. I'm just excited. That's all."</p><p>"Yeah," Mason said, all but forcing the smile to remain on his own face. "Yeah, no, me too." He nodded. </p><p>"Mhmm..." Liam furrowed his brow suspiciously, able to detect Mason's apprehension, even through his own sheer excitement. They were, after all, best friends. </p><p>"I am," Mason defended himself. "I'm just nervous. It's a big thing."</p><p>"Yeah." Liam nodded. "I guess that makes sense. I guess I'm nervous, too, but just...more excited than anything else."</p><p>"Well," Mason said, leaning up against the wall of lockers, holding his own end of the day books against his chest. "Just a few hours to go."</p><p>"Yeah," Liam smiled. "I'll meet you out front after school, and we'll walk over together. My mom's meeting us at the store." </p><p>"Mine, too," Mason confirmed. After all, until you were 18, you needed to have parental permission to get a Timer. It was no small thing, the receiving of one's Timer, and while Mason's dad was stuck at work, his mother had been brimming with excitement, excitement that Mason had shared less and less as they day drew nearer.</p><p>"Okay, see you then," Liam said, tearing off towards class as the bell rang.</p><p>Mason made his way to his own class, managing to direct his focus on his remaining lectures, rather than the Timer, though he did catch himself staring at his right wrist. Soon, in just a couple of hours, there would be a bracelet there, telling him how long it would be until he would meet his soulmate, and as excited as he was to meet the love of his life, well, there was still a weight there. Since Timer's gained popularity, homophobia had begun to take a decline - after all, one couldn't help who their soulmate was, but the vast widespread popularity of the Timer's was still gaining momentum, and not everyone had adapted fully to the ideas of homosexuality and other non heterosexual romantic formats. Mason knew that his parents loved him, he knew that his friends did, but he had never talked about this with any of them - he was only 14, and knowing his own sexuality? That wasn't something he had really perfectly landed on until recently. </p><p>It didn't matter, he told himself. Even once the countdown began, he would still have time.</p><p>***</p><p>"Okay, so which of you gentlemen is going first?" Matchmaker Laura looked at the two boys and their mothers. </p><p>"Me, I think, right?" Liam said, looking at Mason. After all, of the two of them, he was the more excited, and Mason had absolutely no qualms about letting his best friend dive into this before he, himself, gave it a go. </p><p>"Alright." She smiled, fitting the Timer into the application gun. "So, once I fit this to the inside of your wrist, it will either start counting down, or remain blank. Seeing as you two are both young, there is absolutely nothing to panic about with a blank Timer. A lot of people don't get them right away when they turn 14, and perhaps your soulmate isn't quite of age yet!" Her smile was cheerful, and her words encouraging. "However, should numbers appear on your Timer, they will countdown to midnight the night before. Then, once your timer zeroes out at midnight, you'll know that, at some point that next day, you're going to lock eyes with your very own, unique, individual soulmate. A little melody will beep with your Timer, and that of your soulmate's, and from there, it's up to you what to do. Just remember," she cautioned. "Not every soulmate situation is love at first sight. The Timer tells you who your soulmate is, but it doesn't dictate your path to a life together. That is still up to you."</p><p>"Okay." Liam nodded, and Mason, from beside him, processed the words.</p><p>His own parents had already been together when the Timer's became widely accessible, as they had been college lovers. They had gone to get them together, nervous, and looking for validation that they had belonged together. When they had zeroed out, right then and there, they had known that it was fate, and Mason had spent his whole life believing in this process. After all, his parents were a match made in heaven.</p><p>"Alright, so Liam," Matchmaker Laura smiled. "Are you ready?"</p><p>"I am so ready," Liam said, lying back in the chair. </p><p>"Alright, just sit tight - it will sting just a little when I implant it, alright? But you won't have any pain past the initial sting."</p><p>"Got it." Nothing about that gave Liam pause at all, and Mason was impressed by his best friends' absolute resolution, pain or otherwise. </p><p>"Alright, on the count of three," Laura smiled. "One, two, three!" </p><p>There was a click, and a little hiss of pain from Liam, and then, just like that, a Timer on his wrist. </p><p>
  <b>--- Days -- Hours -- Minutes -- Seconds</b>
</p><p>"Oh, wow," Liam stared down at his wrist, the blank Timer now firmly settled there. </p><p>"Remember what she said, dear," Jenna, Liam's mother, rubbed his shoulder. "I know you're excited, but not everyone your age has them."</p><p>"Yeah," Liam smiled, and despite the blankness of his Timer, it was still genuine. "She just hasn't gotten one yet. It's only a matter of time. I'm just glad that I'll know, you know?" He hopped off the chair, not at all deterred by the lack of numbers on his countdown. "Okay, your turn, Mase."</p><p>"Okay." Mason took a deep breath, switching spots with him. </p><p>"Don't worry," Liam said. "It really only stung for like, just a second."</p><p>"Good." Mason didn't have the same pain threshold that Liam did, so it stood to reason that he would be nervous, and as Laura prepared the application gun again, he took a couple of deep breaths to ready himself, putting his own right wrist out for her when she moved closer. </p><p>"Alright, Mason, you ready?" She asked, that kind, calming smile still in place on her face. </p><p>"Yeah." He nodded, looking at Liam, who pulled his gaze away from his own Timer to watch as Mason's was applied. </p><p>"Oh fuck!" Mason winced as the Timer was implanted in his skin.</p><p>"Language, honey," his mother reminded him.</p><p>"Sorry, mom, I-" His  apology died on the tongue as his Timer jumped to life. </p><p>
  <b>000 Days 7 Hours 23 Minutes 42 Seconds.</b>
</p><p>"Oh my god," he said, eyes wide as he looked down at his wrist. </p><p>"What, what is it?" Liam clamored, taking a look at Mason's wrist. </p><p>Their mothers soon crowded around to look as well, and what Mason saw was confirmed. </p><p>"Tomorrow?!" Liam's eyes were wide with shock. "You're meeting your soulmate tomorrow?!"</p><p>"It's likely," Laura said. "That you already know them, or have at least met them. This...that quick of a countdown is rare, and in someone your age, well, it usually means you go to school with your soulmate, or you know them from outside. Congratulations!" She was nothing if not excited.</p><p>"Sweetheart, that's incredible!" Mason's mom hugged him, forgetting all about the curse word he'd dropped moments ago. "You're going to have a soulmate!"</p><p>"Yeah," Mason once again forced a smile onto his face. "I...wow." </p><p>Because yes, it was exciting, knowing that sometime tomorrow, he was going to meet the person he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with, but at the same time, well, he had 7 hours and 22 minutes to figure out how to come out to everyone in his life that mattered.</p><p>The rest of the day went by in a haze. Fortunately, Mason was able to pass off his state of confusion as one of shock, and everyone let it go. After all, he'd gone from being 14, and not (much of) a care in the world, to having only hours before he locked eyes with his soulmate. It was young for a zeroing out, no one was going to argue that. </p><p>***</p><p>"So," Liam looked over at him, tapping his video game controller against his knee. They had gone back to Liam's house for a birthday dinner, cake, and presents, and were now playing video games in his room, just the two of them. "Tomorrow, huh?"</p><p>"Yeah, I guess so." Mason fidgeted with the buttons on his own controller, despite the game still loading. </p><p>"Are you excited?" Liam asked. </p><p>"Yeah," he admitted. "But also, you know, nervous."</p><p>"I think that makes sense."</p><p>"Yeah." Mason looked down, staring at the controller and not his friend.</p><p>"Mase, are you okay?" Liam asked, brow furrowed. </p><p>"Yeah, I just...Liam, there's something I need to tell you."</p><p>"Okay..." The words were surprising to Liam. They'd been friends since they were little kids. There wasn't much he didn't know about Mason, he didn't think. "Yeah, I mean, you can tell me anything."</p><p>"I know, I just..." Mason gulped. Deep down, he knew that Liam would be okay with this, that Liam wasn't the kind of person who would throw away 11 years of friendship because his best friend turned out to be gay, but that didn't make it easy. "Liam, I'm gay."</p><p>"Oh." Liam set his controller down, letting that information process for a few seconds - a few of the longest seconds of Mason's life. "Okay, well that's, Mason, you know that's okay, right? You know that it's fine?"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah, no, I know," Mason said, a wave of relief rushing over him. "I just...you know, I've been wanting to tell you for awhile now, I just didn't quite...have it together, but now..."</p><p>"Now that you're going to zero out with a boy tomorrow..."</p><p>"Yeah." He nodded. "Potentially with witnesses."</p><p>"I'm sorry," Liam said. "That you're being rushed."</p><p>"It's okay, I mean, I get to meet my soulmate tomorrow, but also...it could happen at any time, you know? I have to tell my parents. I don't...I mean, I could walk out the door to the car for school, and zero out with someone walking by, I...and I want them to hear it from me, you know? Not from, well," he lifted his wrist, showing off the Timer.</p><p>"Can I help in any way?" Liam asked. </p><p>"No. I mean, you're doing the best thing," he said, his smile real and genuine as he finally made eye contact with Liam. "Accepting me."</p><p>"Of course I accept you, Mason," Liam said, pulling him into a hug. "You're my best friend. As long as it's not douchebag Brett, I don't care who you love."</p><p>Mason sighed, his cheeks flushing, ears burning at Liam's words.</p><p>"Oh my god," Liam's eyes widened. "You want it to be Douchebag Brett!"</p><p>"I mean, I don't...realistically, no," Mason said. "But god, his abs..."</p><p>"Oh fuck no," Liam shook his head. "Abs or not, you can do way better."</p><p>"You think?" Mason smiled. </p><p>"Absolutely. You're Mason Hewitt. You deserve the kindest, hottest, coolest boy in the world." He paused. "Well, second coolest, since we know it's not me," he said, referencing his own still-blank Timer with a cheeky smile.</p><p>"Shut up," Mason said with a smile, playfully shoving his best friend. </p><p>"You're the shut up," Liam said. </p><p>"Uh huh, sure," Mason teased. "Pick up your controller so at least when I wipe the floor with you, it's a fair fight."</p><p>"Those are big words from someone who hasn't beat me at video games in years."</p><p>"Yeah?" Mason said. "Well, I'm feeling lucky."</p><p>"Oh yeah?" Liam smiled.</p><p>"Yeah. I get to meet my soulmate tomorrow, and whatever happens, I'll have my best friend by my side."</p><p>"Damn right you will," Liam said. </p><p>"<em> Language </em>," Mason teased. </p><p>"Yes, mother," Liam rolled his eyes.</p><p>Mason was grateful that Liam didn't bring any of it up again. They played video games for about an hour before Mason's mother called him back downstairs, saying it was time to go, referencing his big day tomorrow. He said goodbye to his friend, and headed home with his parents. </p><p>"You're awfully quiet, honey," his mother said, turning around to look at her son in the backseat of the car as her husband drove. </p><p>"Yeah, just, you know, big day." He said. </p><p>"I can't even imagine," she said. "You must be so excited. Tomorrow, you're going to lock eyes with someone, and just know. They're <em> your </em>person."</p><p>"They?" Mason perked up a little. </p><p>"Yeah," she smiled. "You never know, you're still young. You might...I mean, it's happened before, you know? People thinking they're straight, and then zero out with someone of the same gender."</p><p>"Happens all the time," his dad said from the driver's seat. "We just don't want you to be shocked if that happens to you."</p><p>"I won't be," Mason said, his heart pounding in his chest so loudly that he was almost certain his parents could hear it. </p><p>"Yeah," his mother smiled, reaching back, taking his hand, squeezing it. "I didn't think you would."</p><p>"You know?" Mason asked, looking up, surprised. </p><p>"Not for sure," she said. </p><p>"But we've...wondered," his dad supplemented, still keeping his eyes on the road. "We just want you to know, Mason, whoever it is you zero out with tomorrow? You can always bring them home to us."</p><p>Mason took a deep breath, then bit his lip. "Him."</p><p>"You can always bring <em> him </em>home to us." His mother amended his father's words, and turned back around, leaving Mason to slump against the back seat, a much more excited apprehension beginning to replace the nervous anxiety. </p><p>Tomorrow, he was going to meet his soulmate, and whoever it was, he had his parents' blessing.</p><p>Mason's parents gave him a hug when they got back to their home, but aside from that, granted him space. He got ready for bed, and climbed in, but as the numbers on the clock moved closer to midnight, he found himself staring at his Timer. </p><p>Somewhere in Beacon Hills, or somewhere nearby, he supposed, a boy with a previously blank Timer had heard a little beeping that had brought it to life, and instead of days, it had started counting down the hours. He wondered if that boy was feeling the way that he had felt, if, all of a sudden, a wave of pressure had washed over him, demanding that he come out to his loved ones before their eyes met. He wondered if, rather than causing joy and excitement, his getting a Timer had caused stress to his One. </p><p>He wondered if his soulmate would be as lucky as he was, to have parents, to have friends that understood, and he couldn't help but let that fear into him that, somehow, by getting this Timer, he had made someone's life harder. </p><p>Not just <em> someone's </em> life, but the life of his soulmate. </p><p>When sleep finally claimed him, close to 3 in the morning, he wasn't at all sure that he was ready for the day ahead.</p><p>From the moment Mason's alarm went off the next morning, he was on edge. He switched his phone to vibrate only, because every little notification sent him looking around to see if he had made eye contact with someone.</p><p>Every time he passed someone in the hallway, he wondered if, maybe, they were his One. Every time someone's phone chimed, he flinched.</p><p>Mason had endured stress before, but this was a very different kind of anxiety. His soulmate could be anyone, but whoever it was, he was here, in this school, well, at least most likely, and Mason? He wasn't sure how he was supposed to just go through his day like everything was normal when everything was very much decidedly <em> not </em> normal. </p><p>At least for most of the day, he had his classes to distract him, and he focused on them as best he could, but when his free period rolled around, and he found himself in the library trying to study for next week's biology test, he was struggling. Hard. </p><p>With a sigh, he left the table and went to the bookshelves, looking for some quality fiction to distract himself. He ran his fingers over the books, smiling slightly as the large copy of Victor Hugo's <em>Les Misérables</em> caught his eye. That would take some time to get through. He pulled it off the shelf, and as he did so, found himself face to face with a boy on the other side of the shelf. As their eyes locked through the space made vacant by the book being removed, a melody of beeping erupted from both Mason's wrist, and the boy across from him. </p><p>The beeping wasn't terribly loud, but in a silent library, it rang out like a siren, and within moments, he was sure, the entire library was looking at them.</p><p>At him, and Corey Bryant, the shy guy that sat in the back of a couple of his classes, that played lacrosse with Liam, but wasn't really their friend. The guy who was, apparently, his soulmate.</p><p>Knowing that there were eyes on them definitely made the whole situation a lot worse. Here were two young men, having a transformative moment in their life, and once the beeping from their Timers died down, all they could hear was whispering. </p><p>"I have to go," Corey said softly, turning down his aisle in the library and moving quickly towards the door. </p><p>"Corey, wait!" Mason called after him, not even bothering to try and keep his voice down - everyone was already watching them anyways. </p><p>Corey didn't turn back, he kept going, moving at a brisk pace as he exited the library, and by the time Mason caught up, Corey was sprinting down the hallway, away from him.</p><p>"Fuck," Mason muttered to himself. If he chased after Corey now, well, it would be the whole school whispering about them instead of just the people in the library, and though he knew that word would spread soon enough, that Mason Hewitt and Corey Bryant had zeroed out together, he didn't want to add any more fuel to that particular fire...and he didn't want to upset his soulmate. Whatever reason Corey had for running away from him was Corey's personal business, and Mason didn't want to start their soulmate-hood out on the wrong foot. </p><p>Or at least not any more wrong than it already was.</p><p>Dejected, confused, and frankly unsure of what to do next, Mason went back to his study table and threw his things into his backpack. He checked the book of<em> Les Misérables</em> out from the counter, and headed to the hallway, making a beeline for Liam's sixth period class, waiting outside until the bell rang. </p><p>The second Liam left the classroom, Mason grabbed him. </p><p>"It happened," he said, keeping his voice low. </p><p>"Oh fuck, no way!" Liam looked at him with wide eyes. "Who?" </p><p>"Corey Bryant," Mason said. </p><p>"Wait, wait. Lacrosse Corey?"</p><p>"Yeah, lacrosse Corey."</p><p>"He's gay?" </p><p>"I don't know if he's gay," Mason said. "He likes boys, I guess, or...maybe he doesn't know that. He literally ran away from me when we zeroed out."</p><p>"He ran away from you?" </p><p>"He ran away from me." Mason sighed, hanging his head. He had known that this might not be easy, that you didn't always have an easy route to <em> forever </em> with your soulmate, but this was...not what Mason had bargained for.</p><p>"What are you gonna do?" Liam asked. </p><p>"I don't...I don't know," he said. "I don't know what to do. I mean, I don't really know him, I've never talked to him before, so I don't know how to even reach out to him, and he <em> bolted </em> , Liam," he sighed. "You should have seen it, or maybe I'm glad that you didn't because it was intensely mortifying, but he wanted <em> nothing </em> to do with me." </p><p>"Oh, Mase..." Liam looked at Mason, his brow furrowed. "Are you okay?"</p><p>"Yes? I mean...no?" Mason shrugged. "I don't know, I mean, dude's my soulmate, and I can't even get him to talk to me, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do, here."</p><p>"Yeah, that's a tough one," Liam admitted, not even flinching as the bell rang to signal they should be getting to class. </p><p>"Well, the choices are try and find him, or give him space, and I feel like I should give him space," Mason said. "I mean, what if he didn't expect a guy? I've heard about that - people zeroing out with someone of a gender they weren't expecting, and we're young, you know? Maybe he just didn't know? Maybe he doesn't want a boy, and there's not a damn thing I can do about <em> that </em> because I am definitely a boy, and-"</p><p>"Hewitt, Dunbar, what are you two doing? Class has started." Ms. Finch approached them in the hallway. </p><p>"Mason's Timer zeroed out, and his soulmate ran away from him," Liam blurted out. </p><p>"<em> Liam </em>!" Mason hissed. </p><p>"Oh, shit, sorry, uh..."</p><p>"It's fine," Ms. Finch said. "That's a rough break, just remember, the road isn't always easy, but it is almost always worth it."</p><p>"Almost?" Mason said, his eyes wide. </p><p>"She doesn't mean that!" Liam said. "It'll be fine. Look, let's go to the counselor's office, and you can talk all of this through with Ms. Morrell." </p><p>"No, no, no, it's...I don't need that, I just don't think that I can focus on class right now," Mason admitted.</p><p>"That's fine, that makes sense," Ms. Finch said. "Liam, why don't you go with Mason to the student lounge, if anyone bothers you, tell them I gave you both permission."</p><p>"Yeah, that's...thank you," Mason said, nodding. </p><p>"Good stuff, come on, let's go, buddy," Liam grabbed Mason by the wrist, practically dragging him to the lounge, and onto one of the worn, but still comfortable sofas. </p><p>"This is not how I pictured this going down," Mason said. "I mean, I'm not stupid, I didn't think we'd look into each other's eyes and it would be love at first sight, but I didn't think he'd run away from me!" Mason groaned. "Am I<em> that </em> bad of an option?"</p><p>"No, nope, absolutely not," Liam shook his head. "Do <em> not </em>start going down that road, Mason," he warned. "You are absolutely not a bad option at all, okay? I'm sure he's just processing."</p><p>"Yeah." Mason nodded. "I...yeah. Processing, I mean, me too, I guess. I just want to make him happy."</p><p>"Oh, Mase." Liam smiled, nudging his friend. "That's such a <em> you </em> thing to say. Your soulmate runs out, leaving you high and dry, and you're just thinking about how you can make him happy?"</p><p>"Well, yeah?" Mason shrugged. "I mean, we've talked about our soulmates so much, you and I, and thinking about what that means for my future, and I mean, I've met him. Corey's my soulmate." His tone switched from one of frustration and angst to one of determination, focus. "It's my responsibility to make him happy, and I mean, it might take a little bit for him to come around, but I'm going to be here when he does."</p><p>"That's my boy!" Liam said with a smile, patting Mason on the back. "He'll come around, Mase, don't worry."</p><p>"Yeah," Mason smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "He'll come around."</p><p>Mason was able to go back to class after that, but the rest of the day was a complete wash. He couldn't focus on anything he'd learned. All that he could focus on was the look of confusion, apprehension, and ultimately, at least to some degree, fear in Corey's brown eyes. The way that the other boy had barely gotten the words "I have to go" out before he had sprinted away from Mason. He dreaded going home, telling his parents that, yes, he had met his soulmate, but that it hadn't exactly gone well. </p><p>How did you do that? Go right home, and tell your soulmate believing, soulmate <em> enthusiast </em> parents that your One had turned tail and run the second you had locked eyes?</p><p>***</p><p>"Honey, how was school?" Mason's mom asked when he walked in the front door. </p><p>"Fine, you know, school," he said, kicking off his shoes. </p><p>"Did you meet someone special?"</p><p>"Uh, yeah, I guess you could say that." He sighed. He knew that he had to tell his parents sooner or later, but his dad wasn't home yet, and he didn't want to have to tell the story twice. "I'll tell you and dad all about it at dinner, I promise, I just have to finish up some studying."</p><p>"Of course." She smiled, nodding, allowing her son to go up to his room. </p><p>When Mason set out his notes on his desk and attempted to work on committing them to memory, all he could think about was Corey.</p><p>***</p><p>At dinner, explaining to his parents what had happened was difficult, but just as had been the case with coming out to them in the car the night before, he found that they took it all in stride, reminding him that the road to forever was rarely easy, and even sharing a couple of tidbits that were new to him about struggles in their own relationship. </p><p>The whole conversation left him feeling better, and when he finally finished his school work, and went to bed, he was practically ready to accept that Corey just needed time and space. When his phone chimed just as he was climbing into bed, with an alert that he had a new text, he assumed it was Liam checking in. However, he was met with the contact name: </p><p>
  <b>Maybe: Corey</b>
</p><p>
  <b>-Hi. Can we talk?-</b>
</p><p>
  <b>-It's Corey, by the way.-</b>
</p><p>
  <b>-Liam gave me your number, I hope that's okay.-</b>
</p><p>Mason practically shot up in bed, reaching to the bedside table to turn the light back on. </p><p>
  <b> <em>-Yeah, yes, we can talk. Are you okay? I'm sorry about earlier.-</em> </b>
</p><p>After firing off the text, he stared at his phone screen, watching the little grey dots, before the whole thing went dark. He wanted to open it back up, to stare until those dots became words, but he willed himself not to, to be patient, and instead, stared at the black screen until it lit up again.</p><p>
  <b>-It wasn't your fault, until yesterday, my Timer was blank, and then all of a sudden, it said 7 hours, and I didn't know what to think, and then it was you, and I didn't know what to say.-</b>
</p><p>Mason read the text once, twice, a third time, then a fourth, trying to figure out all of the things in between the lines, what Corey meant by he didn't expect it to be Mason. Was he not expecting a boy? Was it Mason specifically?</p><p>As he was attempting to process, his screen lit up again. </p><p>
  <b>-That came out wrong. I just mean you're Mason Hewitt. Everyone knows you. Everyone likes you. And I'm...me. I just didn't think my soulmate would be someone so popular.-</b>
</p><p>Mason wasn't quite sure what that meant, but he was sure that he was not going to figure it out over text message. </p><p>
  <b> <em>-Can you talk on the phone?-</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b>-No, sorry. My parents...it's a small house, they'd hear, I never told them my Timer started counting down, they didn't notice. I don't want to be extra trouble for them.-</b>
</p><p>
  <b>-Can you sneak out?-</b>
</p><p>The last message threw Mason for a loop. He wasn't really one to sneak out, but this wasn't just trying to get in extra video game time with Liam, no. This was his<em> soulmate </em>. Even if his parents caught him, he was sure they would understand, right?</p><p>
  <b> <em>-I can try.-</em> </b>
</p><p>
  <b>-Meet me at the park in 20 minutes? At the bench under the big oak tree?-</b>
</p><p>
  <b> <em>-I'll be there.-</em> </b>
</p><p>Mason was quiet, sneaking into the backyard shed where his bike was kept, and equally as silent heading around to the front to pedal off into the night. He didn't live quite 20 minutes from the park, so when he got to the bench and dismounted, carefully resting his bike on the ground next to it, he still had just shy of five minutes to wait. He tried sitting on the bench, but he couldn't manage it, and instead, wound up pacing back and forth in front of his bicycle, not wanting to let it leave his sight. </p><p>"Hey, sorry, sorry, I thought I could get here faster than I did," Corey said, hopping off of his bike a few minutes later. </p><p>"No, it's fine, I was early," Mason said, something catching in his chest as he finally laid eyes on Corey again. It was dark, but the night was clear, and the moon shone down on them, lighting Corey's features, and for the first time, Mason took a really good, long look at him. </p><p>Corey Bryant was fucking beautiful. Mason's gaze lingered on Corey's soulful, brown eyes. His pale, but smooth skin, slightly mussed hair on top, cropped close on the side, and just the hint of a nervous smile on incredibly soft looking lips. </p><p>Mason gulped, shaking his head a little, wondering how he had never<em> seen </em> Corey like this before, because yeah, their Timer's had only zeroed out today, but there was no way that Corey had only been this beautiful for a few hours. He had always been there, Mason just hadn't bothered to look.</p><p>"What, do I have something on my face?" Corey reached up to swipe across his mouth and cheeks with the sleeve of his sweatshirt. </p><p>"Oh, no, no, I mean, I don't think so, just sort of hard to see you in the dark," he said, trying to come up with a good reason for why he was lingering on the other man for so long.</p><p>"Yeah, I don't think it's the dark, I mean, I can see you clearly," Corey said, though he wasn't making eye contact with Mason. "I think that's just me, you know?" </p><p>"What do you mean?" Mason asked, absolutely confused by Corey's statement. </p><p>"Oh, you know," Corey shrugged, still looking more at the ground than at Mason. "Hard to see."</p><p>“What? No, that’s...no.” Mason shook his head. How was he already fucking this up? He had only <em> just </em> noticed that Corey was completely and utterly his type, and he had already managed to insult him somehow. “I just meant that…” he sighed. Fuck. Corey was his soulmate, why couldn’t he just tell him that he was taking in his appearance. </p><p>“It’s okay, Mason,” Corey said. “I know that I’m not, I mean no one sees me,” he said with a shrug. </p><p>Mason bit his lip. There was something about Corey’s tone that wasn’t upset. <em> Corey </em> wasn’t upset, he was just saying something that he believed to be utterly true, and that broke Mason’s heart a little bit. </p><p>“No, I…” Except how did he say no? Corey was right. Mason knew who he was, but Corey had always flown under the radar, Mason had never really seen him before. They had never really spoken, had a conversation, and Mason had definitely never looked in his eyes and seen what he saw now, and he felt fucking terrible about that. </p><p>“It’s okay, Mason,” Corey said, shifting slightly. “There are people like you, who shine so bright that they don’t have to say anything, and people just notice you, and then there are people like me who are invisible.”</p><p>Mason’s heart was pounding against his chest as Corey spoke. There wasn’t really a sadness to Corey’s tone, more just an acceptance, and Mason hated himself for not seeing him before, for being a part of the reason that Corey felt invisible. </p><p>“I know it’s late,” Mason said, taking a step forwards, closer to Corey. “But I see you. I wasn’t squinting to try and see you through the darkness, I was looking at you. I was taking you in, because you’re right, I haven’t before, but now? Seeing you, looking into your eyes, I’m kicking myself, Corey, for not having noticed you before, because now that I see you, I really don’t understand how I didn’t before.”</p><p>“Mason,” Corey sighed. “Just because you’re my soulmate, I mean, you don’t have to say that, you don’t have to be attracted to me right away, or...or ever, I guess, I-”</p><p>“Corey, you’re beautiful,” Mason said softly. “And I can’t wait to get to know you.”</p><p>“Really?” Corey looked up at him, absolute shock on his face, and Mason got the feeling that, even though his words were honest, Corey didn’t believe them. </p><p>“Really.” Mason nodded.</p><p>"I’m sorry that I ran away from you," Corey admitted. "I just..." he shrugged. </p><p>"It's okay." Mason struggled to find the right words, wanting to say the best possible thing to the man that he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with. "I wasn't expecting to zero out so quickly after I got my Timer."</p><p>"I mean, mine had been blank, and then all of a sudden it wasn't." Corey sighed. "And I just...you know, I wanted to know, but at the same time, I was sort of thinking that I would meet my soulmate in college, or maybe after, and I ran because now is just not really a good time for me."</p><p>"What do you mean?" Mason asked. Weren't soulmates supposed to come at the right time? Wasn't that the point of being a soulmate.</p><p>"Um. Do you want to take a walk?" Corey asked, reaching back to his bike and unlocking a chain from it. "I think it's big enough for both."</p><p>"Yeah, I...sure." Mason lifted his bike, propping it next to Corey's on the bench as the other boy locked their bikes to it. </p><p>"Cool." Corey pocketed the key and glanced quickly at Mason before looking away. "Um, this way?"</p><p>"Yeah." Mason nodded, falling into step beside Corey as they walked. "So what did you mean, when you said that this wasn't a good time?"</p><p>"Oh," Corey shrugged. "Just...I never really planned to date in high school."</p><p>But just listening to him, walking beside him and glancing sidelong at him, Mason could tell that there was more to it. He had spent years unpacking Liam's various moods, and he had learned to read body language and tone, he had learned younger than most that what someone said and what they felt were often two different things. </p><p>"Corey," he said. "I know that it's weird, because we sort of just met, but you're my soulmate, you can tell me anything."</p><p>"It's not easy," Corey explained. "Going from not really having anyone to being here with you. I don't know how."</p><p>"You don't have to," Mason said, boldly reaching out for Corey's hand as they walked. "We'll figure it out. Together."</p><p>Corey stopped dead in his tracks, looking down at their joined hands. </p><p>"Together?" he asked, apprehension clear in his voice. </p><p>"Yeah." Mason smiled. "Together. I'll start, if it helps," he said. </p><p>"I'd like that." Corey nodded. </p><p>"I've spent a lot of time thinking about it, soulmates, what mine would be like, but he never had a face, never had a name, and it being you, I mean, the universe wants us together, something about who we both are means we're perfect for each other, and I don't want to waste any of that time because we're trying to pull punches here. I want to get to know you, Corey. You said no one saw you, and it's true that I never did before, I guess, but I want to now. All of you. My parents are soulmates, I've grown up seeing how this <em> works </em>, Corey, and it'll work for us, too. I know it will."</p><p>"So you really think that this isn't a mistake?" Corey asked. </p><p>"No, I...don't think so," Mason frowned. "Do you think it's a mistake?" His heart thrummed nervously, because the last thing he wanted was for his soulmate to tell him that he felt like they were wrong, a mistake. </p><p>"No, I just thought maybe you would," Corey said quickly. "I've...you may have not seen me, Mason, but I've<em> always </em> seen you. I mean, everyone has, but..." he shrugged. "But in middle school, you bumped into me one day, and that happens a lot, but you stopped, you said "sorry" and asked if I was okay before moving on, and I know it's a dumb, little thing, but just for a moment, I felt like <em> someone </em> saw me."</p><p>"You've been saying that, that no one sees you," Mason said. "I mean, I knew you existed..."</p><p>"I'm quiet. I keep to myself, I don't...really throw myself out there. I grew up being told that I shouldn't be seen or heard, and I just got really fucking good at it. It's why we couldn't talk on the phone," he admitted. "I couldn't be too loud at home."</p><p>"Your parents told you that?" Mason asked, slightly horrified as he started walking again, not letting go of Corey's hand as the moonlight beat down on them. </p><p>"Well...yeah," Corey shrugged. "They didn't mean to have me. I was a New Year's Eve whoopsie, you know?" He shrugged. "By the time my mom even realized she was pregnant she was too far along to do anything about it, and...that's all I've ever really been. A burden. A mistake."</p><p>"You're not a mistake, Corey," Mason said. "I mean, I guess if someone spends long enough telling you that you're worthless, I could see how maybe you'd start to believe it, but it's not true. You should be seen, Corey. And heard."</p><p>"I don't know." Corey sighed. "Sometimes I think being invisible is just easier, but I can't be anymore, I guess. I mean, everyone at school knows."</p><p>"Would you rather they didn't?"</p><p>“Maybe in a way," he admitted. "I'm worried about what they'll say. People like you, Mason, a lot. They'll say I'm not good enough, and I know that I'm not, but that doesn't mean hearing it every day will be easy."</p><p>"Okay." Mason nodded, starting to realize what had to happen here. Corey did need time. He couldn't rush into this relationship, and Mason couldn't drag him into it. "I don't think they'll say that."</p><p>"You know that they will," Corey said. </p><p>"I..." Mason didn't know how to respond, because once again, as much as he didn't want Corey's words to be true, he knew that they well might be. Kids were cruel, and Corey and Mason ran in very different social circles. Despite being on the lacrosse team, Corey wasn't popular, and Mason, with his magnetic personality, and close personal friendship with Beacon Hills' star freshman? He was. </p><p>"You don't have to deny it, we're different," Corey said. "In a lot of ways.</p><p>"Yeah, and maybe there are a million ways we're the same, and we just haven't figured them out yet. This doesn't have to happen overnight, Corey. This soulmate thing?" he smiled. "We're young. We have time."</p><p>"I guess, I just didn't expect to have to figure all of this out at 14, I thought when I zeroed out, I'd be 18 at least, and out of my parents' house, out of Beacon Hills, it never occurred to me that anyone here could be my person."</p><p>"Well," Mason smiled. "I'm your person, and as your person, I say we can go at this however you want, okay?"</p><p>"I don't even know how I want it," Corey admitted. "I didn't have enough time to think about what this would mean, if I was ready for it, or if I wanted it at all, and then it was you, and it was hard, because...you know, making eye contact with you in the library, a part of it <em> did </em> feel right, and I think a part of me really wanted it to be you, before I even ever thought about it."</p><p>"You did?" Mason asked. </p><p>"I mean, yeah," he shrugged. "Wasn't there someone, in the back of your mind, even if you didn't ever say it out loud, that you were sort of like...how cool would it be, how <em> lucky </em> would I be, if that were my soulmate?"</p><p>Mason looked down at the ground, feeling horribly guilty over the image of Brett and his millions of abs that flashed through his mind, but even then, he knew that it was purely physical, that what he wanted from Brett wasn't what he wanted from his soulmate. </p><p>"I mean, I guess, yeah," he admitted. "But only sort of?"</p><p>"It's okay that it wasn't me, Mason."</p><p>"Except it isn't," Mason said. "Because it should have been you. Being here, with you now? Learning about your life, and who you are? It feels good, Corey. Nerve wracking, but good. Maybe I didn't know that I wanted you to be my soulmate, but there isn't a single part of me that wants to be here with anyone else."</p><p>Corey didn't reply right away; he merely kept walking, thinking about Mason's words. </p><p>"No one's ever wanted me before," Corey said softly. </p><p>Mason shook his head, a smile curling onto his lips. "See, you can’t say that anymore."</p><p>"I can't?"</p><p>"No. I want you, Corey."</p><p>"You're just saying that because the Timer said we're supposed to be together."</p><p>"I mean, that was the catalyst, sure, but you said it before - that as weird as this all is, some part of it also feels right, and it’s not just you. I feel that, too. I want to be here with you, I don't want it to be anyone else, and I'm really, really excited, Corey."</p><p>"Excited about what?"</p><p>"To spend the rest of my life with you."</p><p>"Oh." Corey looked down at the ground, kicking a rock out of the way with his beat up sneaker. "I never thought you'd see me that way."</p><p>"Well," Mason shrugged. "I do, so. Friday night?"</p><p>"What's Friday night?" Corey asked. </p><p>"Well, hopefully our first date."</p><p>"Yeah?" Corey looked up at him, this time the smile on his face real, nowhere near as hesitant or nervous as the one he'd worn when they'd first met up at the bench. </p><p>"Oh, wow," Mason said. </p><p>"What?" Corey's smile faded to a look of confusion.</p><p>"Oh, just your whole face sort of like...creases when you smile, you have this like, massive dimple, just here," he reached out, touching Corey's cheek where the dimple had been. "It was just really cute."</p><p>And just like that, the smile was back, that long dimple appearing right beneath Mason's fingertips. </p><p>"See?" Mason smiled back at him. "I can make you smile already. This is gonna be good."</p><p>“Yeah,” Corey looked at Mason, making eye contact, not dropping his smile. “Maybe it is.”<br/>
<br/>
After another moment, Mason let his hand drop from Corey’s cheek, though his own smile remained in place as well. </p><p>“Should we,” he gestured with his free hand down the path that they were walking. </p><p>“Oh, yeah, yes.” Corey nodded, starting to walk again, and Mason followed, still linked at the hands. </p><p>As they walked, they talked. Mason told Corey about his family, how his dad was a CEO for a local company and traveled a lot for work, and his mother was an artist and a homemaker. He talked about how he loved reading, and video games, and how he and Liam had been friends since they were small children. In turn, Corey told Mason about his comic book collection, and how much he wanted to get away from the house he had grown up in, because he just never felt like any part of him was allowed to be himself. They talked about their favorite music, movies, TV shows, foods, how Mason couldn’t stand the smell of eggplant cooking, but loved eating it, and how Corey hated to eat bananas if they weren’t at least a little bit green.</p><p>They talked, and talked, circling the park multiple times as it got later and later, finally making their way back to the bench as they began to grow tired. </p><p>“Do you wanna sit?” Mason asked. He didn’t want to walk away, he didn’t want to leave Corey behind. After all, they had just started clicking, and he really wanted to get to know him as well as he possibly could. The more they talked, the more he liked him, and the thought of heading back to his house was really unappealing right now. He didn’t care that he would be exhausted when his alarm for school went off, he didn’t care that his parents might be furious, he just wanted to spend as much time as possible with Corey. </p><p>“Yeah.” Corey nodded, sitting down on the bench, watching in awe as Mason sat down next to him. “I mean, it’s late, won’t your parents-”</p><p>“They’ll get over it,” he said. “I never sneak out, they probably haven’t even checked my room to see if I’m in it, honestly. My phone hasn’t gone off, so.” He shrugged. “What about yours?”</p><p>“I doubt they’d notice that I’m gone,” he bit his lip. “Doubt they’d care if they did.”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Mason said, moving just a little closer to Corey on the bench. </p><p>Every time Corey said something like that, Mason wanted to be closer to him, to pull him in and tell him that <em> he </em> cared. That <em> he </em> would notice if Corey weren’t there, and that he wanted him around, but he knew that it wouldn’t be so easy, that it would take time for Corey to get to a point where he believed that. </p><p>It didn’t matter. Mason intended to show him, regardless of how long it took. He just wanted to make sure that this was the last day that Corey doubted that there was someone in the world who cared about him, someone in the world who was going to put him first. </p><p>“It’s okay,” Corey said.</p><p>“Except it isn’t, Corey,” Mason said. “Because you deserve more than they gave you, and the fact that they made you think you’re this invisible boy that no one cares about? That’s not okay. You <em> are </em> visible, and <em> I </em> care about you.”</p><p>Corey didn’t say anything, not right away. He looked at Mason, studying the other boy’s features in the 3 AM moonlight, tilting his head to the side as he did so. Mason’s gaze, the way that he was angled towards him, looking at him, it all seemed...true. It seemed honest, and Corey wasn’t used to that. He wanted to believe Mason, and he was pretty sure that a part of him did, but at the same time, he was apprehensive. It wasn’t going to be that easy. It wasn’t going to be a switch that just flipped over the course of one night...even if this was, to date, the single best night of Corey’s life. </p><p>“Can I kiss you?” Corey asked finally, his tone shakey, a little nervous as he searched Mason’s face for some sort of disapproval. </p><p>Mason’s face shifted from concern to a wide grin, and he nodded. </p><p>“Yeah, you can kiss me.”</p><p>“I’ve never kissed anyone before,” Corey admitted. </p><p>“Neither have I.”</p><p>“Really?” Corey’s eyes widened in surprise.</p><p>“Really.” Mason smiled. “I was waiting.”</p><p>“Waiting for what?”</p><p>“Waiting for you.”</p><p>“Oh.” Corey felt blood rush to his cheeks, color filling them as he moved just a little closer to Mason on the bench. “Well, I’m here now…”</p><p>“Yeah,” Mason took a deep breath, practically shivering with anticipation, or perhaps from the cool breeze. “You are.”</p><p>“Okay.” Corey nodded, and bit his lip, pausing just for a second before leaning in, kissing Mason. </p><p>It was a soft kiss, chaste, and sweet. The first kiss of two boys, both nervous, but excited about what was happening between them. Though the kiss only lasted a few seconds, when both boys pulled away, they were grinning from ear to ear. </p><p>“Wow,” Corey said. </p><p>“Yeah, wow.” </p><p>“I could get used to that.”</p><p>“I will <em> never </em> get used to that,” Mason said, and he leaned back in for another kiss.</p><p>This time, the kiss was more intense. Mason’s eyes fluttered closed, and he moved one hand to the back of Corey’s neck, the other going to his cheek as he felt utterly drawn in by the other boy. He put everything that he had into it, kissing Corey as passionately as he could, though there was more than a dash of awkwardness and sloppiness to it, as both boys were inexperienced. </p><p>When they pulled away again, they were right next to each other on the bench, very little space between them.</p><p>“This is right. <em> You </em>are right” Mason said, brushing his thumb against Corey’s cheek, smiling at him. “I don’t want you to have any doubt that this is right.”</p><p>“Yeah.” Corey closed his eyes, pressing his forehead against Mason’s, his heart racing a mile a minute. “This is right.”</p><p>
  <b>ONE YEAR LATER</b>
</p><p>“You’re late,” Mason said with a smile, rising from the bench in the park, under the giant oak tree. </p><p>“You were early,” Corey challenged, hopping off of his bike and setting it on the ground next to Mason’s before moving close to his boyfriend, ducking in to give him a kiss under the moonlight. “Didn’t have any trouble with your parents?”</p><p>“Nah, they were fast asleep when I left.” Mason hooked his arms around his boyfriend’s waist, drawing him in close. “Happy anniversary, Corey,” he said, looking him right in the eye. </p><p>“Happy anniversary, Mason.” </p><p>Corey’s smile was wide. The very smile that Mason had started to fall in love with in this very park, one year ago. The smile that he had worked daily to make sure he saw. The smile that had become more and more frequent as their relationship progressed, as Corey began to trust that Mason’s words were true. </p><p>It hadn’t been the easiest year for either of them. Finding your way to someone’s heart <em> after </em>already knowing that you were supposed to be together wasn’t exactly simple, but they had done it, and had become practically inseparable. Yes, Mason still had plenty of time for Liam, but at lunch, Corey joined them. When they went out for pizza after a lacrosse game, Corey and Mason sat on one side of the booth, practically pressed against each other, while Liam sat on the other. It was complicated, and not without it’s little hiccups, but it had been good. </p><p><em> So </em> good.</p><p>“Here, come sit,” Mason said, taking Corey’s hand and leading him over to the bench. “I have a present for you.”</p><p>“You said we weren’t doing presents!” Corey said, his eyes widening. Mason’s family had money, and Corey...well, he had a job scooping ice cream on weekends and during school breaks, but most of that money was going towards college, and to be saved for when he moved out, as his parents had made it crystal clear that once high school was over, he wasn’t their problem anymore. </p><p>“I didn’t buy it,” Mason said. “It’s just...it’s nothing big, don’t worry, okay?” He squeezed Corey’s hand, wanting to ease some of the tension the other man was feeling. </p><p>“Okay.” Corey nodded, the tension inside of him beginning to dissipate. </p><p>“Here.” Mason held out a wrapped package. </p><p>“It’s heavy,” Corey said, taking the solid, rectangular gift. </p><p>“Open it,” Mason said, an eager smile in place on his face. </p><p>“Okay.” Corey was careful with the wrapping paper, savoring the feeling. Until this past birthday and Christmas, with Mason’s family, and Liam, it had been ages since anyone had given him a present, and he still let himself really bask in the moment when it happened. </p><p>As he pulled back the paper, he furrowed his brow. A copy of <em>Les Misérables</em> lay in his lap in the open wrapping...the Beacon Hills High School library barcode sticker prominent on the spine. </p><p>“It’s...a library book?” Corey looked up at him. “Look, I know my GPA sucks, but I don’t think I could-”</p><p>“No, no, no,” Mason shook his head. “It’s not a hint or a nudge or something douchey,” he said. “I promise. No, this is uh…” he smiled. “This is the book that I was grabbing when we first made eye contact. I pulled it off the shelf and, you know, there you were.”</p><p>“<em> Oh. </em>” Corey’s voice was soft as he ran a hand over the cover. “You kept it?”</p><p>“I <em> stole </em> it,” Mason said with a grin. “Couldn’t bear to give it back when it was due.”</p><p>“You rebel, you,” Corey said, smile lighting up his face as he looked away from the book, and back up at Mason. </p><p>"Oh yeah?" Mason reached out, placing a hand on Corey's cheek, drawing him in close. "You like a bad boy?" he teased. </p><p>"No." Corey shook his head. "Not at all."</p><p>"Oh, thank god," Mason laughed, leaning the rest of the way in and kissing Corey. </p><p>Deftly, Corey placed the book next to him on the bench, not wanting anything to happen to it as he reached for Mason's waist, drawing the other boy in closer to him, getting lost in his lips. </p><p>Kissing Mason, being with Mason was like breathing, and until they had talked that first night in the park, Corey felt as though he had been holding his breath for 14 years, but now? Now he had Mason. He had his soulmate, and he could finally breathe. </p><p>"Still not used to that," Mason said with a smile as he pulled back. </p><p>"Good," Corey said, sneaking back in for a quick peck before settling back to pick the book up. "So, how anxiety inducing was it for you to abduct school property for me?"</p><p>"Oh, <em> so </em> bad," Mason said with a laugh. "But it was worth it."</p><p>Corey studied the book, then looked back up at his boyfriend. </p><p>"You totally replaced it, didn't you."</p><p>"Oh, yeah, totally," Mason said. "But, I didn't pay for <em> this </em> one," he said, tapping the cover of the book. "So it doesn't count. I had replaced it months before I decided to give it to you."</p><p>"And why did you decide to give it to me?" Corey asked. </p><p>"Well, I guess I'm not technically giving it to you," Mason explained. "It's a loaner. I know that things aren't always easy for you at home, Cor, and I wanted you to have something there that reminded you that there's someone out there who loves you. Someone who is<em> so </em> incredibly excited to spend the rest of his life with you, and maybe you read it, maybe you don't, doesn't matter." He shook his head. "It's a symbol, I guess. A promise. You have it right now, but one day, it's gonna be front and center on the bookshelf in <em> our </em> home."</p><p>"Our home?" Corey asked, looking at Mason with those big, brown eyes that Mason had fallen so in love with over the past 12 months. </p><p>"Yeah, Cor," Mason nodded. "Our home."</p><p>"I love you," Corey said, leaning in, kissing Mason desperately. </p><p>"I know," Mason said with a smile as he pulled away.</p><p>"No, Mase, don't you <em> dare </em>Han Solo me, I'll-"</p><p>"Corey," Mason laughed, reaching up, cupping the back of his neck, pulling Corey closer to him. "I love you, too."</p><p>And maybe Mason hadn't been holding his breath for 14 years, but that didn't change the fact that kissing Corey, kissing his <em> soulmate </em>, wasn't hands down, the best feeling in the world.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate it, and hope you enjoy it.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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